Sean Lennard, the Triangle Food Guy, has the scoop on openings, closings and foodie events.
Thanks to a tip from my Twitter buddy Burgeoning Baker we learned that the Cinelli family has opened Vici Ristobar in the Hope Valley Commons shopping center in Durham at 1125 W. NC 54 in the former Tre Forni spot. This is the same family that owns Vieni Ristobar in Holly Springs and Vivo in Raleigh (and former owners of Osteria G and Trattoria Salve). Get familiar with their new concept here. In case you missed it, last Friday Crave Hot Dogs and Barbecue opened at The Shoppes at Oberlin Court in Raleigh at 1028 Oberlin Rd. (former Zoës Kitchen spot). They are serving up all beef hot dogs, hot and mild sausages, and brats along with the pulled pork, pulled chicken and smoked brisket and more. Oh, did I mention they have a self-serve beer wall with 24 taps!?!? Now that they are open, they have $2 hot dogs with two free toppings on Tuesdays, Kids Eat Free on Wednesdays, and in the new year they will also be introducing bingo night (day to be determined) and Trivia Night Thursdays. It is a great spot for families, friends, college kids…truly something for everyone! Congrats to Eric and Jesse Reyes! You can follow them on Facebook here here. Caryite Paul Fletcher shared the news this week that there appears to be a Panera Bread being outfitted in the old TGIFriday’s/Cary Towne Kitchen & Bar building in Crescent Commons on the corner of Tryon Rd. and Kildaire Farm Rd. No word yet on an open date. Thanks Paul! Down in Garner, it was shared this week on the Garner, NC: A Great Place to Be! Facebook page that Eggs Up Grill will be the third tenant in the old Kroger location along with both Lidl and Harbor Freight. They expect to be open this spring. Get familiar with them here. Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Knightdale is getting a new cocktail bar with a retro twist. Rewind Retrobar is coming to 319 N. First Ave. in Old Town Knightdale in the first quarter of 2022. The space is currently gutted, but will soon hold arcade games, video game consoles and a bar spanning 29 feet.
